Welcome to Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig (@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show airing live every Monday night from 9-10 PM (CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My engineer and discussion partner is Egberto Willies (@EgbertoWillies).

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A slew of fuel-saving hybrid and full-electric models debuted, including the coming 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, with an expected operating range of around 200 miles on a charge and a sticker price at around $30,000, including the one-time $7,500 federal tax credit.

there’s rumblings that gas prices might even dip as low as a buck a gallon in some parts of the country this year, a level not seen in the U.S. since 1999 experts say $1 a gallon is indeed possible, at least as long the stars continue to be in perfect alignment, so to speak. That means OPEC nations, especially Saudi Arabia, have to keep the pumps working overtime, oil prices have to maintain their downward trend (they’re already below $33 a barrel, compared to $100 in 2014), and refinery capacity has to remain at full bore without serious interruptions. And that’s with ongoing shale oil drilling continuing to bolster domestic supplies.

Originally conceived a few years ago back when gasoline was a budget buster and EVs were considered the salvation, $1.00 a gallon gasoline unfortunately makes the aforementioned Chevy Bolt look more like an overpriced small car than a high-tech zero-emissions money saver. Sales of hybrids and EVs dropped by around by 17 percent last year and will likely continue to plunge in the months ahead, even with additional models reaching the market. With fuel costs less of an issue, consumers are happily eschewing passenger cars for lower-mileage crossover SUVs and pickup trucks, with the latter now commanding sticker prices as high as $60,000 for their top luxury appointed models.

“’It’s not that the country has changed, it’s that a narrow band of mostly white, low- and middle-income Americans are supporting a candidate who is speaking to their anxiety about being left behind in this economy,’ said Bill Burton, a former deputy White House press secretary.”

“Blue collar anxiety” is a real thing with real causes. That’s why so-called “Post-industrial Economies” are a fraud perpetrated against semi-skilled workers, and why industry needs to be re-invigorated in this country. We NEED blue collar jobs. Not everyone is cut out for ‘service’ work.

Peak oil is not about running out of oil. It is about what happens when the supply of conventional oil begins to decline. Once this happens, higher-cost, lower-quality sources of oil become increasingly necessary to meet global demand.

Congress ended the U.S. crude oil export ban last week. There is apparently no longer a strategic reason to conserve oil because shale production has made American great again.

The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) that banned crude oil export was the closest thing to an energy policy that the United States has ever had. The law was passed after the price of oil increased in one month (January 1974) from $21 to $51 per barrel (2015 dollars) because of the Arab Oil Embargo.

The 1975 export ban was enacted because of the disastrous economic consequences of becoming dependent on imports following the peaking of U.S. oil production in 1970. Now that oil production is again close to peak levels, we have apparently forgotten that imports were the problem then and that we import twice as much today as in 1975.

Production of crude oil is higher today by 7% but consumption has grown to more than 16 mmbpd, an increase of 32%. At the time of the Arab Oil Embaro, consumption was only 12 mmbpd.

So, consumption has increased by one-third and imports have doubled but we no longer need to think strategically about oil supply because production is a little higher?

The technology behind tight oil has also made it the world’s most expensive barrel.

As Brazil and India meet the political criteria for membership of the exclusive G8 club of developed democracies, their ascension could see France and Italy kicked out of the group, or the club expanded to a G10 as more economies join.

To reach this goal, Ford will be investing $4.5 billion and adding 13 electrified models to its lineup, calling [this] the “largest-ever electrified vehicle investment in a five-year period” for the company.

KPFT is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and it can always use your tax-deductible support. Most of the folks who work and broadcast at KPFTare volunteers, but it still has fixed and variable expenses, and it still costs $150/hour, 24/7/365 to keep KPFT on the air.

About Thinkwing Radio

Mike Honig is originally from Brooklyn, New York. He moved to Houston in September of 1977 and has been there ever since. Mike's interests are politics, history, science, science fiction (and reading generally), technology, and almost anything else. Mike has knowledge and experience in many diverse fields, sometimes from having worked in them, and sometimes from extensive reading or discussion about them. Mike's general knowledge makes him a favorite partner in Trivial Pursuit. He likes to say that about most things, he knows enough to be dangerous. Humility is a work-in-progress.